1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of waste collection systems and apparatus for feeders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Feeding birds using feeder apparatuses results in a large amount of waste due to feed being taken out from the feeder and not consumed. Such waste can be in the form of unused seeds, husks, and the like. The waste can be produced by the birds for which the feeders are proposed, or by unwanted animals, which have access to the feeders. The waste emanating from the feeder usually falls on the area surrounding the feeder.
As the waste will be accumulated on the area surrounding the feeder, this causes the area to become messy and overrun with the unwanted waste. When the area includes a grass lawn, the result can be patches of dead or dying grass smothered by the waste.
Patents in the prior art disclose means to prevent unwanted animals from having access to feeders. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,856, to Chester, discloses a squirrel-proof post including a feed platform mounted onto a supporting post and a sleeve mounted slidably along the supporting post. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,687, Nylen discloses a squirrel baffler consisting of a conical shaped sheet member and a bracket assembly; and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,537, Fischel discloses another squirrel-proof post for supporting a myriad of birdhouses or feeders. None of these patents disclose the use of a feed collecting system or apparatus to protect lawns or similar outdoor locations from accumulation of feed wastes.
Other patents describe birding systems, as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,142, where a modular pole system for birding is described by Holscher, and in WO 84/02056, Lussi discloses a birdhouse including a collector with a floor to make dirty food which has fallen in the collector, inaccessible to birds. The pole module disclosed by Holscher and the birdhouse of Lussi do not discuss the problems relating to protecting lawns or similar outdoors locations from waste emanating from a feeder.
The present invention therefore provides a bird feeder apparatus that protects the surrounding areas from waste emanating from the feeder by providing a waste collection system and apparatus.
The invention further provides means to prevent access to the feeder by unwanted animals.